Columbia Pike Initiative
Columbia Pike is the Main Street of south Arlington: one of the region's most ethnically diverse communities.
Stretching nearly four miles from the Pentagon to the Fairfax County line, the Pike's businesses and restaurants mirror its unique population. Here you will find a healthy mix of goods and services from Hillside Florist to Fabrics Unlimited; from Papillon Cycles to Bank of America, and from Foodstar to the Farmers Market to the Uncommon Market Food Co-op. All this, plus an abundance of restaurants-close to 60 in all - with at least one establishment from every continent on the globe. A plethora of information on the Pike is available from the Arlington Urban Villages website, the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization (CPRO) website, or any of the other links at the bottom of this page.
The Columbia Pike initiative, kicked off in 1998 by the County Board, was spurred on by desires of the community in three main areas.
First among these was to create a transit and pedestrian-friendly "Main Street" with better public transportation and an attractive streetscape. "It's got to be walkable," demanded citizens at many of the 300 community meetings held to address the Pike's revitalization.
Retaining and enhancing the ethnic and cultural diversity, and moving the Pike towards a more complete mix of uses - retail, office, residential and cultural-were also seen as critical.
To these ends, an innovative solution involving "form based code" was adopted. Form-based code specifies a set of "rules" governing acceptable building types and their placement relative to the street and sidewalk. The needs of the pedestrian are a driving force behind the specified urban "form." Sidewalk widths and distances across streets at intersections are being looked at. Some other approaches being considered are ways of reducing the speed of vehicular traffic and providing landscaping and on-street parking to increase pedestrian levels of comfort.
For additional information about the Columbia Pike Initiative:
